ntfrenk Chris Eyre's movies are always interesting because he lets us glimpse into the lives of contemporary American Indians. "Edge of America" is no exception and therefore worth watching.However, unfortunately, the story does not really explore any of the issues it touches on, such as inter-minority racism, lack of adequate housing on the reservation, economic problems, alcoholism and drug abuse, single parenting, teenage pregnancy, lack of perspectives for teenagers and all the related problems, cultural differences and resulting misunderstandings between minorities, and more.It was not clear to me why the new English teacher - Kenny Williams - took the job in the first place. At some point he said he "needed to slow everything down", but I would have liked to learn more about his motivation to live and teach on an Indian reservation.I was glad to see Wes Studi in a different role than that of the bad guy, and I enjoyed his exchanges with Mr. Williams, but I did not see a real connection between Mr. Williams and the girls and could not follow the change in their relationship that supposedly happened somewhere along the line.

Parisfrance75006 Chris Eyre's Edge of America is a wonderful contribution to storytelling. It's evident that this young director is a visionary with potential for Hugh success. The story possesses a warm personal human touch, which makes it totally relateable. I could see it over and over again. His fine technique with actors allows for a smooth transition into the character they are portraying. He sets no boundaries or limitations, which gives the actor endless possibilities. His choices are clever, thought provoking, humorous and quite believable. He's the kind of director actors dream of working with. His film Smoke Signals was a true testament of what's to come with Chris' brilliant sense of storytelling and once again he's met the mark. It's time for this director to apply his creative genius to the silver screen once again. I can hardly wait.

jotix100 This film came out of nowhere the other night when it showed on cable. The movie directed by Chris Eyre and written by William Holtzman, is one of the most uplifting stories about how a teacher that cares to get involved makes all the difference in the world of the young basket ball team.It's obvious the women's basket ball team of the Three Nations high sucks big time; they play badly and are not coordinated at all. The new black teacher, Kenny Wwilliams, who comes to the school to teach, realizes the young women show potential. Basically, these kids show little self esteem and insecurity in the basket ball court. Kenny, in trying to help the girls, steps into a lot of toes, making him a not well liked figure in the school.All that changes when he gets Baby, a girl that is not attending the school, but who has potential, to join the team. Carla, the rebel girl who lives with her alcoholic father, comes around to join the others in a sport where she obviously excels. The high school goes from being a joke into the state finals thanks to what the coach Williams does for the team.The film is inspirational and has a positive message. In fact, this is one of the best sports films ever made. The movie works because of the great performance by James McDaniel, who as Kenny Williams is the spark that ignites the teen agers to realize their potential. Tim Daly makes a appearance as Carla's father. Delanna Studi plays the rebel Carla with conviction."Edge of America", which is based on a true story shows how one person can turn around a bunch of losers into winners by making them believe in themselves.

miltlee Chris Eyre has done a wonderful job of presenting Indian life in America today. The reality of the reservation was presented in a wonderful way - not as victims or heros but as real people just trying to live their lives.I especially liked the fact that this movie avoided typical Pan Indian Images that plague so much of what is presented in the media about Native Americans and their culture.Bravo!